Montana University System Prepares For Another 10 Percent Funding Reduction

Last week, Montana Governor Steve Bullock directed all state agencies to begin sketching out ways to reduce their budgets by another ten percent, including the Montana University System.

Associate Commissioner of Higher Education Kevin McRae said the total amount to be carved out of the entire system amounted to approximately $22 million for each of the next two years.

“By and large almost 80 percent of that $44 million over the next two years would be from the main university campuses,” McRae said. “UM’s share of that reduction would be about $5 million per year. That means that every campus in the system would be similarly situated to so many of the other state agencies, whether it’s a health human service agency, or a public safety agency, anybody who relies on state general funds is preparing new for scenarios where we would have to live with 90 percent of what we thought we had.”

UM spokesperson Paula Short said campus officials will wait to see what recommendations the Board of Regents suggests before cutting the budget further.